Sallie Mae 2000 Annual Report Download - page 12

Services That Meet and Exceed Customer
Expectations
The year 2000 was a time in which Sallie Mae took bold,
new steps to diversify its products, services and systems, and to
clarify and solidify its commitment to higher education.
We expanded our product and service offerings with SLM
Financial’s Career Training LoanSM, a new funding option
designed to meet the needs of a growing market: non-tradi-
tional students. Sallie Mae already had responded to this
emerging niche of adult learners, distance learners and individ-
uals pursuing a specialized certificate program with the launch
in 1999 of SLM Financial, a subsidiary that provides funding
support for lifelong learners. This year, SLM Financial helped
more than 93,000 students in their quest for continuing educa-
tion.
We renewed our commitment to helping student loan
borrowers avoid the consequences of default by investing in
new products, technology and default-aversion programs. In
2000, we partnered with congressional leaders, the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
and the Princeton Review to present more than 75 Paying for
College seminars throughout the country. These free workshops
educate college-bound students and their families on the
financial aid process, giving them important information and
resources on how to finance a college education.
Our online debt-management services, such as those offered
by Nellie Mae, a subsidiary of Sallie Mae, provide schools and
borrowers with specialized loan-financing tools, including
repayment calculators, information on student loan borrowing
and tips on managing credit card debt.
We solidified our role as a leader in the student
loan marketplace by forming strategic partnerships that
added tremendous value to the services we offer our seven
million borrowers. Our newest collaboration with Lending
Tree, Inc., the premier online loan marketplace and loan
exchange provider, gives customers access to fast, simple and
economical home loans. An array of other resources can be
found on our Web site at the Sallie Mae Mall, where guests
can find significant savings and discounts on products and
services that include credit cards, insurance, long distance
telephone service, car rentals and more.
Finally, Sallie Mae significantly enhanced its
default-prevention and debt-management efforts in 2000
with the acquisition of USA Group. The transaction enables
Sallie Mae to benefit from USA Group’s historic success in
the area of default prevention, setting the stage for the
company to pioneer new default-aversion services and
programs in the future.
But we’re not finished. After nearly three decades
of serving higher education, Sallie Mae is, perhaps, better
positioned now than ever to provide services and resources
that meet the ever-changing needs of students and families.
From before a student has applied to a higher education
institution, to the time he or she spends on campus, to
when graduation is a distant memory, the “new Sallie Mae”
will be there like never before.
MAKING THE PROCESS EVEN EASIER THROUGH NEW SERVICES
10